This invention relates to ammunition, and more particularly to a submunition which is separated from at least one other submunition and which uses a guidance system in order to acquire a target.
Guided projectiles are becoming popular in enabling long range artillery to destroy specified targets while the artillery is located at a relatively safe location. In one pre-existing system, a single guided projectile was targeted to a high priority target, such as a tank, by using a laser designator. The system operates with and is dependent upon a forward observer who must illuminate the target with the laser designator to facilitate the guided projectile's guidance package in homing in on the target. The target illumination in turn compromises the safety and utility of the forward observer.
An alternative technique had been to place many potentially low cost submunitions into a target-rich impact area in a single volley. Unfortunately, this type of submunition has a capability of defeating only low priority targets. Another technique that has been proposed includes providing guided submunitions with parachutes in order that the submunitions may have a chance to seek and acquire appropriate targets. The guidance systems have moving parts which have to be secured, for example, during common launch and which tend to be expensive or unreliable. There is therefore a need to provide a system which can actively seek out a large number of high priority targets and which has a reasonably high lethality against these high priority targets.
The present invention has, as one of its objects, the provision of a projectile with multiple guided warhead-carrying submunitions which can be used to independently acquire high priority targets, such as tanks, and successfully defeat these types of targets, despite their heavy armor. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a submunition which can be readily packaged in the compact space of, for example, a cannon launched projectile, and which can be provided with a guidance system which can readily acquire an appropriate target. It is a further object of the invention to provide a guided missile, such as a guided submunition, which has a capability of actively seeking its target, by using a search pattern and in which the search pattern is effected by the missile's movements.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a dropped submunition which is guided and yet does not require excessive target acquisition times, thereby eliminating the need for significantly slowing the submunition after it is approaching the target. This is important because it is desired that the submunition have a low visual signature to avoid destruction in the event that hostile forces should attempt to destroy it.